On Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu announced the nomination of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as the new chief executive officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), subject to confirmation by the Senate.
The nomination follows the resignation of Gbenga Komolafe, who previously led the upstream regulator, and comes as the federal government moves to ensure leadership continuity in Nigeria’s oil and gas regulatory institutions.
The president had written to the Senate requesting an expedited confirmation process.
This shows the administration’s focus on stabilising the upstream petroleum sector at a time of declining crude oil output, tightening fiscal conditions and renewed efforts to attract investment.
The NUPRC is a key institution under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), responsible for regulating exploration and production activities and enforcing compliance across Nigeria’s upstream value chain.
Eyesan is a veteran energy executive with more than 30 years of professional experience spanning banking, public service and the oil and gas industry.
She is a graduate of Economics from the University of Benin and began her career in the financial sector, working at People’s Bank of Nigeria and later Gulf Bank of Nigeria, before transitioning into the petroleum industry.
She spent nearly 33 years at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and its successor, NNPC Ltd., rising through the ranks to occupy some of the most senior positions within the organisation.
Eyesan retired from NNPC Ltd. in 2024 as Executive Vice President, Upstream, a role she held between September 2023 and November 2024, overseeing the company’s upstream portfolio during a period of structural reform and heightened regulatory change.
Prior to that, she served as NNPC’s pioneer Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer from 2022 to 2023. In that capacity, she led the development of the company’s sustainability framework, institutionalised enterprise-wide data governance and supported the transformation of NNPC into a fully commercial entity in line with the Petroleum Industry Act.
Between 2019 and 2022, Eyesan was Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy, where she coordinated long-term corporate strategy, budgeting and capital allocation, while also engaging government ministries and agencies on national development plans. Her work during this period included supporting negotiations that led to the renewal of Nigeria’s deepwater production-sharing contracts, unlocking billions of dollars in potential investments.
Eyesan’s career also intersects with several landmark developments in Nigeria’s energy sector, including strategic and regulatory engagements that supported the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act and initiatives aimed at strengthening energy security and investor confidence.